


vedavati

by AllegoriesInMediasRes



Series: Ramayana fics [24]
Category: Ramayana - Valmiki
Genre: Canon Compliant, Character Study, F/M, Ficlet, Oneshot, women do not forgive women do not forget
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-19 01:56:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 352
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22903321
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllegoriesInMediasRes/pseuds/AllegoriesInMediasRes
Summary: Even in Sita’s youth, when she was merely the daughter of Janaka, she had been celebrated for her kindness and learning.vedavati (Sanskrit): a name for Sita in one of her past lives, meaning “wisdom, embodiment of the Vedas”
Relationships: Rama/Sita (Ramayana)
Series: Ramayana fics [24]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1105638
Comments: 8
Kudos: 14





	vedavati

When she sees him sitting on the throne, at first glance he seems not a day older. But she knows him, and she sees the gray hairs at his temples, the way his shoulders hunch forward, the weight he has lost, and she knows her absence has gutted him, as much as it could a man like him.

If she were compassionate, she would rue any pain of his, and grieve that she was the cause of it.

She is not compassionate. She is spiteful. She is glad to see each scar on her soul mirrored on his.

* * *

When he makes his conditions known, her family is collectively outraged on her behalf -- all her sisters and brothers-in-law and mothers-in-law.

If she were fair-minded, she would beg them not to castigate him, would wish that the innocent did not have to become embroiled in this feud between husband and wife, between king and queen. 

She is not fair-minded. She is petty. She is glad that her banishment has driven a wedge in some way between Rama and every person in his life.

* * *

When she declares that she shall verify her purity by earth and not fire, full-blown fear blooms in his eyes.

If she were sentimental, she would think it is genuine panic at the thought of losing her, and not merely apprehension that she will embarrass him in front of his kingdom.

She is not sentimental. She is embittered. She can still tell that he has longed for her dearly, and missed her these twelve years.

* * *

When she rends the earth apart, her boys cry out for her.

If she were wise, she would stay behind for their sake, find some sort of compromise so that they are not left alone in an unfamiliar court with a man who is more king than father to them -- and what if her departure in such a manner hardens his heart against them, and he makes them suffer for their mother’s sins?

She is not wise. She is world-weary. She closes her ears to their screams and opens her eyes to the warm velvety darkness. 


End file.
